Find Your Inner Peace in this Mountaintop Home

This minimalist home strikes a harmonious balance with its natural surroundings, in this case: a mountain range. Pure, simple colours provide a subtle blank canvas for the landscape in its environs, while design elements like large, unobstructed windows provide exquisite views of the rolling hillside. The interior of the home is reflective of the mountainous atmosphere with its peaked door frames and high, angled ceilings, but it also has a personality of its own, offering a fun collection of shapes, levels, and materials that speak for themselves in a fun collection of design elements that are not only minimalist, but also fun and dynamic.

The Mountain Views

Talk about a home with a view! Korean architects B.U.S. were given a striking setting to work in, and they've taken full advantage of it. The placement of this home allows its angled roof to align nicely with the rolling hillside beside it, as the patio extends to nearly the edge of the drop off. Long, horizontal lines in the home, such as the continuous line from its grey roof, the wooden panel along the bottom, and the narrow horizontal window allude to the long horizontal ridges in the distance.

Living on the edge

This patio is reminiscent of an old fishing pier with it simple wooden planks and absence of any whistles and nobs like railings, potted plants, latticework, and steps. Here, the patio is a simple, clean stage for mountainside viewing, and its minimalist design clearly reflects this by saying nature is all I need. A sense of openness abounds, as one could stand on the very edge of the patio and feel unrestrained by fences and beams, getting a fresh dose of mountainside freedom from their very own personal stage.

Rock House

The front view of this newly-constructed home is graced with a large boulder that adopts an almost sentry-like presence as it patiently guards the angled front entrance of the home. In minimalist fashion, the home doesn't attempt to outdo the boulder; instead, the architects have placed a ladder leading onto it as a way of inviting guests to enjoy the boulder's potential for beauty (and fun – sunbathing, anyone?).

The front entrance of the home, seen in more detail below, employs a receded door surrounded by dark orange wood, creating an almost cave-like entrance that seems to draw you right in.

For another in-depth look at a home built to blend with its surroundings, have a look at this ideabook exploring a Ying and Yang House in Switzerland.

Interesting details

바위를 낀 대청

A closer look at the front entrance reveals how these architects have created ample visual interest while using a minimal amount of decoration – a simple front step would be typical in a home like this, but in this construction, the designers have extended the lines of the steps to form different levels of long benches that provide a sunny spot for an outside read. Like the patio, these raised areas benefit from the freeing feeling of being unobstructed by any sort of railing or fence, creating an open pathway to the unique boulder field just beyond.

Once again, you can see how the angled lines of the houses' walls point towards the receded door in a gesture that clearly invites you to explore the fun elements within.

A Close Look at the Front Door

A surprising frame of vertical planks make for an interesting, rounded entrance door here. The rounded sides look almost like columns in a temple – given the structure's reverence for the mountainous countryside beyond, this temple-esque look is a perfect choice. And if that weren't enough, a neatly-framed front view of the boulder leads the eyes up the steep inclination of a singular ladder, perhaps another subtle allusion to a mountainous – or heavenly – ascent.

Plenty of Sunshine

This structure was designed to live in harmony with the mountaintop, and these large windows take advantage of the beautiful sunshine streaming in from both the far wall and the right wall in this picture. You can easily imagine opening the sliding door to wander out onto the porch on a cool, misty morning.

An unconventional horizontal window is placed low to the ground on the left wall, still allowing light to enter while also creating shelter for a more intimate space within the home. Simple white shades offer a blank canvas that lets the light and shadows do all the talking – nature's beauty is the true centerpiece in this lovely home.

Interesting details

거실로 이어지는복도

Although the home remains very simple and neutral in its even white tone, there are some interesting details in the home's interior – for example, the various wooden materials used for the doorways, hallway, and raised floor create a slightly mismatched vibe that's both laid-back and dynamic. with yellows, reddish browns, and grayish browns blending well in their nature-infused variety (the floorer must have had fun with this project!). Along with the variety of wood, you can observe a dynamic assortment of levels that draws the eye all around, from the raised landing floor to the bi-level hallway.

Another interesting point is the hallway doorframe; instead of employing a typical rectangular shape, these architects have decided for a pointed look that adds height to the space.

Sturdy stairs

2층으로 올라가는 계단

A nice balance of straight and curvy lines are found in these sturdy, simple stairs. In line with the rest of the home's railing-free appeal, these steps substitute a typical railing with a little extra width, making it less possible that you'd go slipping off the open side. The rounded lines at the bottom of the staircase are echoed in the gentle twist above, against a contrast of square wall tiles, narrow planks, and crisp edges drawing straight, clean lines. Like in the rooms before, the wall, floor, and stairs in this room are made of materials offering similar tones, but widely varying textures – there's not much need for elaborate art on the walls, as the home's design itself provides plenty of visual interest.

Peek-a-Boo Box Room

The structure is low and long, but the interior takes full advantage of all the height that the home offers – in this room, a separate little box has been added, complete with a friendly (triangular peaked) window providing the chance to communicate with anyone in the living room. Reminiscent of Rapunzel's single tower window, the addition of this surprising room creates the sensation that this yellow-toned box is a world apart, its own little private fortress that oversees the rest of the room.

Balanced Light

거실과 연결된 2층방

A geometric look makes this room quirky and fun, with a balanced placement of light throughout. A circular window, triangular window, and a rectangular ceiling light form a triangle of light in the room – although the shapes are varied, the design feels balanced because of their even placement. Along the back wall of the room, you can see how the ceiling begins to angle inwards as the attic is formed, showing how the structure can afford to fit two high-ceilinged levels into a relatively low house.

Sunny nook

식당너머 보이는 거실

The perfect little stage for a few chairs, floor cushions, and coffee table, this raised platform lifts you onto a quiet, sunny nook with impressive views. A translucent ceiling light adds even more brightness to the area, turning a smaller space with a lowered ceiling into an airy, open space.

A View from Behind

Even from behind, this home offers so many interesting design elements. A playful assortment of geometric shapes are scattered in an even fashion across the back of the home, creating a look that's dynamic and fun, despite employing such basic shapes. Like in the front entrance, the backside offers a continuation of the slightly raised step, functioning as a small walkway or patio along the outside of the home. The area is well-light by wall lights, casting their golden-toned light like dramatic stage lights towards both the floor and the roof above.